What exactly is neo-liberalism?

In the first installment of a three-part series, the author finds that contrary to usual murky references to neo-liberalism, it is better to find a unifying thread in its variants

My last column (Populism in less developed countries is somewhat different, August 12) was about populism. One group populists invariably dislike are the ‘liberals’ — the despised L-word in American politics. Some of the same people are often despised also by the Left all over the world as ‘neo-liberals’. It is not always easy to know who the latter are, as the word is used in different senses by different critics. Of course, keeping the term ill-defined and coarse serves the critics, as larger targets always make shooting practice easier.